St. Paul Without the Walls

San Paolo Fuori le Mura (St. Paul's Outside the Walls) is one of the four great basilicas of Rome

Another of Rome’s four grand grand pilgrimage basilicas, St. Paul Outside the Walls (which used to be translated as "St. Paul Without the Walls," which as a kid living in Rome I got a real kick out of and was therefore sorely disappointed to discover it wasn't an open-air church) burned down in 1873, but it has been faithfully reconstructed using as many elements as possible from the original structure.

The

Byzantine doors,

with incised bronze panels from the 11th century, were badly damaged in the fire, but survived to be preserved on the inside of the west wall, between the central and south portals.

The

altar

is said to mark the spot of St. Paul's burial (an AD 1st-century tomb discovered underneath would seem to support this tradition), and sheltering the altar is a late–13th century

ciborium

by Arnolfo di Cambio. Nearby is a weird, giant

marble candlestick

carved in the 12th century with a whirl of medieval scenes. The restored

apse mosaics

were executed by Venetian craftsmen in the 1220s.

The one part of the church to survive the fire almost intact is still its greatest draw, the lovely and peaceful early–13th century

cloisters,

whose columns are a cornucopia of variety, many twisted or paired and inlaid with gems, mosaics, or colored marble chips in glittering patterns.

Viale di S. Paolo/Via Ostiense 186
tel. +39-06-541-034

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